


Imagine Being Loved By Me

by 27vampyresinhermind



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben is Hozier, F/M, Forest god finds a goddess, HEA, House Swolo, Hozier, I can’t stop listening to Hozier, I have an obsession with Hozier and Reylo, Modern AU, Rey is a singer/songwriter, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Writing Den, The Writing Den, because duh, swolo fic, there will be smut, this is the product of that obsession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2020-06-27 01:57:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19780891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27vampyresinhermind/pseuds/27vampyresinhermind
Summary: Singer/songwriter Rey loves playing the open mic night circuit. It allows her the freedom to be her own boss. Playing her own music interspersed with covers from her favorite artist/forest deity Ben Solo makes her feel at home. She never dreamed she’d actually meet the man himself. A chance meeting becomes something more.Or: author is obsessed with Hozier & his music so this happened.





	1. Honey, You’re Familiar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustAnotherSailorScout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherSailorScout/gifts).



> This always happens! My current music obsession always ends up bleeding into my current fic obsession. Hozier and Reylo combined to create a plot line that I feel every fangirl has dreamed about. Meeting your favorite artist and falling in love. Is it a new trope? Fuck no. Am I writing it anyway? Fuck yes!!

The stage was where she felt at home. When she performed, a peace settled over her entire being and the world melted away. Nothing else could ever compare.

As she played the last chord, the crowd gave their enthusiastic applause she’d become used to in the past few years. Rey was a regular on the open mic night circuit around the city but Kanata Kaff was always her favorite to perform at. The setting was intimate, perfect for the type of music she wrote and the covers she liked to play. Plus Maz, the owner, let her sell the small amount of merchandise she had without charging her a percentage of the sales like some of the other places did. That was a lifesaver sometimes.

Locally, Rey was one of the more well-known songwriters that played the open mic nights and festivals around. She’d garnered a following of dedicated fans through the years who were always supportive of her career. Without a record label behind her, Rey knew making it on any sort of large scale platform would be difficult but worth it. She was her own boss and she loved it. She was able to play whatever she wanted without anyone telling her otherwise and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“Thank you guys so much, you’re wonderful,” she laughed into the mic as the audience quieted down a bit. “I finished that a few weeks ago but this was my first time playing it for anyone so I’m glad you liked it.” Placing her acoustic guitar on its stand, she grabbed the electric Epiphone beside it. “This next song is a cover of one of my absolute favorite artists. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Ben Solo right?” A bunch of ‘whoops’ and applause came up from the crowd that brought a smile to her face. “Of course you have, he’s incredible. I’m actually going to his concert tomorrow night and I’m embarrassingly excited. Of course I’m gonna probably have to watch the show through binoculars because my seat is so high up but he’s worth it.”

Rey strummed idly to make sure the tuning was still right on her guitar. The perfect notes brought on another smile as she looked back out at the crowd.

“There are some artists who just seem to speak to your soul, you know? For me, he’s that artist. I feel his writing style in my bones each time I listen to him. He reminds me that poetry is alive and well. It fills me with hope.” She cleared her throat before fixing the guitar strap on her shoulder. “Anyway, enough of my fangirling. This is a song from his first album but it’s still one of my absolute favorites. Not just of his discography but of songs in general. So, here’s my take on ‘From Eden’.”

Rey began to play, the easy rhythm of the song’s intro settling into her skin. As she sang from the Devil’s point of view, a man in the back of the crowd caught her attention. The audience at Kanata’s was generally the same people each time she played so when she didn’t immediately recognize him as one of the regulars, her curiosity was piqued. The various lights shining in her face didn’t exactly allow her to see him very clearly but she could tell he was huge. Easily over six feet with broad shoulders, the man wore a beanie that covered his hair. He seemed so familiar, Rey felt like she should’ve been able to instantly recognize this stranger.

“ _ Honey, you’re familiar, like my mirror years ago _ ,” the line made her grin simply because of her predicament. Why was this one audience member so familiar and why couldn’t she place him. It was gonna drive her crazy.

Rey played to the end of her set, keeping the mystery man in her periphery the rest of the time she was on the stage. She thanked the crowd and announced the next act in the night’s line up before gathering her two guitars and heading back to the sitting room in the back of the café. Maz kept it closed off on open mic nights for the performers to get ready. One of the employees that had been named stagehand for the night followed, carrying the rest of her equipment in his hands.

“Thanks Dopey,” she grinned as the young man sat her amp down next to one of her guitar cases.

Dopheld Mitaka was a college kid Maz had working for her for the summer. He had all the book smarts in the world but practically no common sense at all. Because of this, everyone had taken to affectionately calling him Dopey. It hadn’t taken long for the nickname to stick. 

“No problem Rey, your set was really great tonight.”

Rey began wrapping her cords up the way she liked so they would fit just so in the bag she kept her effects unit in. Out of the corner of her eye, her acoustic guitar began to slide from its perch where she’d propped it up. The guitar was her baby, not to mention part of her livelihood, so she lunged for it before it could hit the floor. Before her hand could wrap around the neck, another hand jutted out and snatched the instrument from its free fall.

When she looked up to see who’d come to her rescue, she was a little shocked to see the stranger from the audience.

Except that he wasn’t a stranger at all.

“Holy fuck,” was all she managed to utter in response.

Bent over, holding her guitar where he’d caught it, was Ben fucking Solo!

Rey stared up at him and realized that the beanie had played a large part in why she hadn’t recognized him before. The long, wavy mess of dark hair that he was known for was stuffed up into the hat. It was one thing to see him in the man-bun he sometimes favored that his audiences went crazy for. To have the trademark hair completely obscured from view changed his appearance somewhat drastically. 

“Hi, I’m Ben.” His simple introduction was almost comical. Here was a man who’d literally just heard her singing a number of  _ his _ songs yet still felt the need to introduce himself.

“No kidding,” Rey blurted out without thinking. At that moment, Rey remembered her words from on stage, her fawning over the man in front of her. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “Um, I’m Rey.”

He held his hand out to her, both to shake it and to help her up from the floor. Rey took it eagerly, wondering if he felt the little pulse of electricity as their skin touched. She had to be imagining that, right?

“This is insane. I can’t believe you’re actually here. Wait, what the hell are you doing here in the first place?”

Ben chuckled softly. He laughed the same way he did in all the interviews she’d watched of him. Almost nervous sounding. 

“I like to get away for a bit on tour sometimes. Plus, nights like these are how I got my start. I guess it reminds me of home. I borrowed my stage manager’s car and drove around for a bit. Stopped when I saw the open mic night sign out front.” He grabbed the beanie off his head to reveal that his hair was indeed in his famous man-bun at the nape of his neck. The same strand of hair that always seemed to escape the confines of his hair tie fell in front of his eye. Rey sucked in a sharp breath as he pushed it back behind his ear in the same manner she’d watched him do countless times from her computer screen. It was different because he was  _ right there _ .

“I can’t believe you sat there and listened to me completely fangirl over you onstage.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation but Ben merely shook his head.

“It’s flattering, honestly. Besides, you forget I just watched your entire set, not just the fangirly moments. You’re obviously immensely talented so how could I possibly not take it as a compliment?”

Rey felt her blush deepen. Here was her absolute favorite artist on the planet telling her that she was ‘immensely talented’ and being serious about it. She refrained from pinching herself because if she was dreaming, she had no interest in waking up.

“Wow, thank you so much.”

“I um, I actually wanted to ask you about one of your songs, if that’s okay with you, of course.”

Rey blinked owlishly, wondering if she’d possibly misheard him from a few inches away.

“Shit, seriously?” Rey realized quickly that she maybe shouldn’t have been using quite as much profanity around someone she’d just met. But then, when that person happened to be The Ben Solo, who happened to curse in a few of his songs and in numerous interviews, she figured  _ fuck it _ .

“Yeah, I think you said the title was  _ Lost Daughter _ .”

Rey took a deep breath. 

“Of course you pick the song about my abandonment issues.” She tried to say it in a joking manner but one look at Ben told her he could see right through her. 

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I was just curious.”

Rey waved him off as she sat down at a nearby table.

“No, it’s fine, really.” She watched as he folded his large frame into the chair opposite her. 

“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to pry. It’s a beautiful song though.” The smooth timbre of his voice saying that her work was beautiful really shouldn’t have filled her with such affirmation.

But it did.

“I um, my biological parents were arrested when I was an infant. They apparently tried to sell me to an undercover cop during a drug bust.” Ben leaned forward, arms on his knees. The intensity in his eyes was more than she bargained for so she looked away before continuing. “I grew up in foster care. I didn’t actually find out that bit about the drug bust until I’d aged out of the system and read my file. Before that, I always told everyone that I was just lost. That my parents lost me and I was just waiting until they could find me again.”

The chair creaked as Ben leaned forward, listening intently. It gave her the courage to keep going. 

“Each home I got placed in, I would carve my name into something, the floor or baseboards, a windowsill, anything. Like I was leaving a little breadcrumb trail so they could find me. It took years of therapy for me to finally come to terms with the fact that they didn’t want me. I decided that it was probably for the best, them trying to sell me. I mean, people like that shouldn’t be allowed around children in the first place so I can only imagine what my life would’ve been like if they’d have kept me. I doubt junkies would’ve been the best parents.”

Ben sat back in the chair, his mouth slightly open, a look of wonder on his face. 

“So the line ‘I guess the fix that your blood craved was worth more than your blood in the end’ wasn’t just a metaphor then?”

Rey shook her head.

“Tragically autobiographical, I’m afraid.”

Not many people had ever asked for meaning behind her songs. It was an odd feeling to have the story out in the open, unable to hide behind allegory and fancy turn of phrase. 

Ben simply stared at her for a moment. She was positive that any moment he would stand up and walk away. This certainly couldn’t have been what he’d had in mind when he decided to check out the small coffee shop late at night.

“That makes it even more beautiful then, because it comes from a place that’s real.”

Rey definitely hadn’t expected that to come out of his mouth. She was stunned to silence by the compliment for a moment. Here was her favorite songwriter telling her that her own work was beautiful and not just as some polite platitude. He actually meant it. This kind of thing didn’t just happen to people, especially her.

Had she fallen through some hole in the space-time continuum into some alternate reality where people got to actually meet their heroes? This was the plot of countless ridiculous stories she’d read where suspension of disbelief was the main requirement for reading. How was this real?

“Thank you,” she finally managed to get out.

“Your whole set was fantastic. Your writing style is so unique too, it feels like more than a song. Listening to you, it felt like I was hearing something bigger than myself. I assume you taught yourself?” Rey nodded as her cheeks flushed under his praise.  _ What was actually happening right now? _ “How long have you played?”

Rey thought back to when she’d first picked up a guitar, at a pawn shop owned by one of her foster parents.

“I think I was about ten when I first knew that I wanted to learn and then it took me about a year to save until I could buy a guitar of my own. Once I fixed it up, I started following tutorials I found on YouTube and just went from there. So I guess about fourteen years actually playing. I was always getting moved around so I couldn’t exactly join any bands. I learned fingerstyle so I could basically accompany myself with whatever I played.”

His eyes bored into her but the intensity of his gaze wasn’t as unnerving as it should have been. After a few seconds went by, he shook his head, a single whispered word passed his lips.

“Wow.”

Rey felt a giggle bubble up in her throat, the absurdity of the night’s turn of events finally getting to her. 

“Considering you’re the man who sings about the apocalypse and blowjobs in the same song, I’d say you deserve the ‘wow’.” At the mention of his music, Ben blushed. His pale skin took on the pink tinge quite nicely. When he pushed an errant lock of hair behind his ear once again, Rey could see that that was pink as well. His responding chuckle echoed in her stomach.

“What can I say, I like sex and I like writing about it.” His smile was somewhat self-deprecating as he shrugged his large shoulders. “Sex is something so intrinsically linked to the human experience, I feel it would be disingenuous to ignore it.”

Rey couldn’t help but nod. She’d watched interviews where he’d said basically the same thing but hearing it in person was, again, an entirely different experience. The smile came to her face on its own.

“You really are an old soul, aren’t you?”

At that, Ben barked out a laugh that had her smiling even wider. When his hand went to his hair again, she was starting to think it might very well be a nervous habit.

“Everyone says that but I have no idea what it means. Does it mean I look tired? Because I’m definitely tired. Is it like all those memes about me being an immortal? An old soul, an immortal would technically have an old soul, right?”

Rey joined in on his amusement, adoring that he always seemed to know exactly what his fans were up to in the recesses of the internet. 

“Well now you have to tell me how old you actually are.”

Ben pretended to ponder her demand for a minute, a finger to his lips which only seemed to emphasize how soft they looked.

“Us immortals can’t just go around revealing all of our secrets. There’s rules and stuff. But I will tell you that I’m older than twenty but younger than four thousand.”

Rey laughed loudly, unable to contain the actual joy he seemed to inspire within her.

“Well what do you know, I happen to be in that same age group. It’s good that you take time to rejoin the world every few years. I imagine it can get quite boring being a forest deity all the time.”

“Oh you have no idea!” Ben leaned forward and motioned for her to do the same as if preparing to let her in on a secret. “The foxes make the most horrendous sounds when they’re mating. I’m not supposed to smite the forest creatures but those creatures test me more than anything else.”

The conversation flow with him was unexpectedly easy. It was like talking to someone who just understood everything you said without even trying. He let Rey bombard him with questions about some of her favorite songs of his only to turn around and bombard her with those same questions about her own music. They talked about his family, what it was like growing up with a blues drummer for a father and an artist/political activist for a mother. Ben listened to her stories about some of the nicer foster homes she’d stayed in and some of the not so nice ones. It wasn’t long before each of them had grabbed her guitars and started messing around with melodies. Rey pulled out some unfinished songs she’d been working on just to show him and before they knew it, a songwriting session had begun. Their voices melded together as they sang each new line they wrote until it sounded perfect. Every now and then, Rey would suddenly remember just who she was sitting with and have to resist the urge to pinch herself all over again.

Time had stopped for them in the little bubble they’d created with music and laughter.

For the rest of the world, time had marched on.

“Ok kids, I’m closing up shop.” Maz’s voice came out of nowhere considering neither of them had had eyes for anyone else for the past however many hours. “Oh Rey dear, it’s you. I had no idea you were still here. And who’s your handsome friend here?”

Rey giggled mainly because Ben blushed again at Maz’s words. How did he manage to be that adorable?

“Maz, this is Ben Solo. He’s the singer/songwriter I was talking about on stage earlier. Ben, this is Maz, the owner of Kanata Kaff.”

Ben reached out to shake the much smaller woman’s hand. Rey couldn’t help noticing how much his hand dwarfed Maz’s. Was that what it had looked like when they’d shaken hands before? She wasn’t as small as Maz but nowhere near as large as Ben. He was  _ massive _ .

“It’s nice to meet you Ms. Kanata, we’ll be out of your hair in no time. I promise.”

Maz laughed before shooting Rey a very obvious wink as she walked back up to the front of the shop.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do kids.”

Ben and Rey both started laughing at the elderly woman. Ben stood up and Rey was reminded again just how huge he was. As he helped her pack all of her equipment back up, they continued to talk. He insisted on carrying her amp out to her car since it was the heaviest of her stuff. Rey strapped her electric onto her back, grabbed the acoustic and her effects unit bag and lead him out to her car. After placing everything in her trunk, she turned around expecting Ben to bid her farewell and return to whatever vehicle he’d hijacked for the evening. But he just stood there.

“So, um,” again with his hand in his hair, it definitely had to be a nervous tic but what the hell could he be nervous about? He was Ben fucking Solo.

“So,” Rey parroted back to him. He stepped closer to her as she leaned against the door to her car. How was it not exhausting to look so intense all the time? She couldn’t remember an interview she’d seen, and she’d seen them all multiple times, where he looked half as intense as he’d been looking at her all night. 

He seemed to remember something and reached into his back pocket. Rey’s brows knit together as he held two slips of shiny paper up between them. 

“You mentioned having to use binoculars at the show tomorrow night. I would hate for you to have put any strain on your eyes.”

Rey took the proffered slips of paper and held them under the streetlight so she could read what was written on them. 

One was a front row seat ticket to his show the next night and the other was a backstage pass. But it wasn’t the type of backstage pass you could purchase. This one had the word ‘Crew’ printed on it in bold letters, essentially allowing the wearer into the areas backstage reserved for stage crew and performers only. Not a typical backstage pass that just got you into a meet and greet.

Rey’s eyes instantly cut to Ben’s when she realized what she held.

“Ben, what the fuck, how can you, how do you have, well it’s your show so of course you have these just chilling in your pocket, why would you give these to me?” Her rambling line of inquiry seemed to make him smile but Rey still just couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Look, I know it’s probably weird, but these last couple of hours with you just talking and writing and hanging out have easily been the most alive I’ve felt in months. There’s something about you and I don’t know what it is but I want to know more. So please, just take the ticket and the pass.”

Rey looked from her hand to him and back again.

She liked to think that she didn’t forget herself often. She had a good head on her shoulders, tried to let herself get carried away if she could help it. Suddenly, all of that went out the window.

If Ben was surprised when Rey jumped into his arms with an excited squeal, he masked it quite well by securing her legs around his waist and spinning around. Rey wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck, squeezing until she couldn’t squeeze anymore. She wasn’t trying to cut off his air supply, just make sure he was, indeed, real. Her laughter felt delirious but Ben laughed right along with her.

Once her feet were planted firmly on the ground again, Rey stared up at him.

“How are you real,” she wondered out loud. Ben gave a shy smile and shook his head.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.”

She felt his fingers curl around her hip, searing into her skin so that she’d never be able to forget his touch for as long as she lived. His eyes flicked to her lips as his tongue darted out to wet his own. Rey’s heart started to beat in doubletime as he came closer. When his forehead pressed against her own, she could taste the coffee on his breath as he exhaled. 

Just as Rey was gathering the courage to close the final distance between them, he backed up and cleared his throat. She couldn’t be sure but the smile on his face looked somewhat sad. Was he as disappointed as she was to not have felt his lips on hers? There a simple remedy to that.

“It was lovely meeting you Rey. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.”

Rey hadn’t even noticed that he’d taken her hands in his own until he gave them both a reassuring squeeze. 

“Have a good night Ben,” she whispered.

As he walked away, Rey slumped against her car to keep herself from jumping around like a crazy person.

That is, she waited until he was out of sight before doing that.


	2. Just Kiss Like Real People Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey’s in for the concert experience of her life.

Rey grinned to herself as she stuffed the cash she’d just made from selling her nosebleed seat tickets to someone. Now she had enough for another t-shirt at the merch stand. Not that she needed another one, but that wasn’t the point.

Looking at the rapidly growing line to get into the venue, Rey steeled herself. There were _so_ many people. It didn’t surprise her, Ben’s fan base was huge. She just wasn’t that wild about standing in line with all of them at once. Grasping her ticket in her hand, she looked down to examine it. _Crew_ . She shook herself. _Right, because that_ happened _last night._ It hadn’t been just a random dream born of delirium. Smiling to herself, and clutching the pass with an even firmer grip, she started to make her way to the doors. 

“Rey?”

Rey stopped in her tracks at the sound of her name. It was highly unlikely that anyone would recognize her.

When she turned, a statuesque blond in all black with mirrored aviators shielding her eyes from the sun was standing a few feet away. Rey pointed to herself as if to say ‘who, me?’ The woman smiled and covered the ground between them in two strides. 

“You’re exactly as he described,” her voice wasn’t as harsh as Rey had expected. She cut quite the formidable figure and Rey had assumed that her voice would match. As the Amazon held her hand out to her, Rey took it and hoped she wasn’t about to be crushed. 

“I’m sorry, who are you? And who described me?” 

The woman laughed again and took her sunglasses off, revealing the most piercing pair of blue eyes Rey had ever seen in her life. 

“Phasma Christie, Ben Solo’s head of security. Pleasure to meet you. I’ve been instructed to find you and escort you backstage.” 

Rey furrowed her brows. From everything she’d read about Ben Solo’s concerts, he always did the normal backstage events after the show. Something about how the show amped him up so he could still be energetic with fans for a meet and greet. 

“Did I do something wrong? Is this because I sold my tickets? Because it was a waste to keep them when someone else could use them and I know scalping is bad but I only sold them for how much I paid for them and I promise I was going to use the money for merch and—“ Rey stopped as Phasma held her hand up laughing.

“Oh dear you’re exactly as he described. You aren’t in any kind of trouble. Ben simply wishes to see you before the show so he gave my team a detailed description, some would say _too detailed_ , and asked that we try everything in our power to find you.” As the security guard relayed the information to Rey, it took her a bit to comprehend her words. “My team is the best, so here you are,” she added pointedly.

Rey could feel her heart speeding up. She’d basically driven home on a cloud the night before after spending hours with Ben and then almost kissing him in a parking lot. But, ever the realist, she didn’t want to try and make it into something it wasn’t. Ben was an internationally renowned artist. She was nobody. There was no way in hell that there could ever actually be anything between them. They were from two different worlds. So she’d resigned herself to just enjoy the memory she had of the night and to make some more at the concert, not expecting anything more fantastic and unlikely to happen. 

Lightning doesn't strike twice after all...

But here she was, with his fucking head of security telling her that she was to be escorted backstage because Ben wanted to see her before the show. _What kind of self-insert fanfiction had her life become?_

“Um, okay, sure.”

“Ben mentioned he gave you a crew pass. Go ahead and put that on so you won’t be hassled once you get backstage.”

Rey flung the lanyard that held the pass around her neck and followed the security guard. Through the venue’s entrance they went and towards a side door where a man stood guard. Phasma simply nodded to him and he opened the door for them. Down a hallway was another door, this time guarded by a woman. She was about Rey’s height with her blonde hair done up in two buns high on either side of her head. 

“Kaydel, this is Rey,” Phasma greeted the woman. “Rey, this is Kaydel. She’s my second in command. You’ll be seeing more of her later this evening so don’t fret if someone other than me comes to get you.” 

Rey offered an uncertain shake of her hand to Kaydel who smiled in response. What did Phasma mean by someone getting her later? _Hell, what was happening at all?_

Phasma continued through the door Kaydel was guarding, leaving Rey no choice but to follow. A few people were milling about in the green room they entered. It took her a minute to recognize them as members of Ben’s touring band. 

There was Poe Dameron, the rhythm guitarist. Laughing at something he’d said was Finn Storm, bassist and keyboard player. Over on the couch, seemingly rolling their eyes at the other two men, Armitage Hux and Rose Tico were cuddled close. Armitage played drums and other percussion instruments, while Rose was a cellist and a violinist. They were all accomplished musicians in their own right. Rey followed them all on various social media accounts, originally because they were the people closest to Ben, and the easiest way to see candid photos of him from tour. But she realized, as she observed them, how much fun they all seemed to have together. 

They were like this incredibly talented family. 

Rey was too busy trying to keep from going into shock that she didn’t realize that they’d noticed her. 

“Oh my god, it’s you!” Rose was suddenly on her feet, bounding across the room to where Rey stood somewhat hiding behind Phasma. “You’re Rey! _The_ Rey! Babe, guys, Phas found her.” Rose quickly waved the men over before wrapping her arms around Rey’s shoulders. Rey froze in her place, unaccustomed to people randomly hugging her. The memory of how she’d jumped on Ben the night before made her think that maybe he was used to it if he constantly hung around this woman. 

“Um hi?” Rey gingerly put her arms around Rose. 

“Ben could not shut up about you when he got back to the hotel last night,” Rose giggled. “You should’ve seen him. Poe was giving him such shit over it too. Oh, I’m Rose by the way.” 

Rey looked up to see a smirk on Phasma’s lips and surmised that this type of affection was normal with Rose. 

“Well,” Phasma chuckled, “it seems you’re in good hands now. Either Kaydel or I will come collect you when it’s time for you to head to your seat.” With that, Phasma left the room, leaving Rey all alone with four people she’d only ever watched from afar. 

“So,” Rose began, giddily clapping her hands together, “let’s introduce you to the guys.” The guys she referred to hadn’t moved from their spots since Rose had beckoned them over. They’d merely watched in amazement as Rose had embraced the newcomer in their midst. 

“Rose dear, I’m sure Ben would be quite put out if you managed to scare our guest away.” The red headed man spoke in a dry tone but his eyes were full of affection. He transferred the drumsticks he’d been twirling in his hands to the couch cushions and held his hand aloft. “Pardon my wife, she gets excited when we meet new people. I’m Armitage but you can call me Hux.”

Rey shook his hand and watched as he pulled Rose down into his lap. She’d known they were together but hadn’t had a clue that they were married. It served well as a reminder that no matter what people put on social media, it was impossible to truly know them without any real life interaction. 

“Finn, Poe, don’t be rude,” Rose hissed from her spot in Hux’s lap. The other two men were just staring at her like they expected her to disappear any second. “Introduce yourselves.” 

Rose’s command seemed to spur them to action. Finn and Poe circled her with a hug that made her feel like she was in the middle of a dog pile. Rey couldn’t help giggling just a little bit because it seemed as though the childish antics she’d seen from them in videos of live performances weren’t relegated to the stage. When they released her, Poe placed his hands on his hips. 

“So I’m Poe and this is Finn. Sorry for before, we were honestly just surprised that you’re real.” 

Rey cocked her head to the side. 

“What does that even mean,” she laughed nervously. Finn chuckled and rolled his eyes. 

“Ignore him. The way Ben described you last night just seemed too amazing to be real. He was just going on and on, we kinda thought he’d imagined the perfect chick or something for a song he was working on. Dude’s kind of eccentric sometimes.”

Poe, who had been nodding along to Finn’s account of the night before until that last part, shoved at Finn’s shoulder. 

“Man, we _know_ eccentric. Last night, he was completely different from anything we’ve seen before. Like he’d seen the Ark of the Covenant or something.”

While the idea of Ben being so taken with her that his friends thought he must have been imagining a perfect woman did wonders for Rey’s ego, she couldn’t help herself as she replied,

“I didn’t melt his face off or anything, I promise.” 

Hux was the first to laugh at her Indiana Jones reference but it quickly spread around the room.

“Okay, are we sure Ben didn’t go off and conjure his soulmate from a bog last night?” The drummer’s question sent everyone, including Rey, into a fit of hysterics. Nobody noticed Ben coming around the corner.

“Hey guys, it’s almost time for final sound checks. What’s so fu—holy shit Rey you’re here!”

The appearance of the man in question made Rey freeze mid-laugh. He was wearing a pair of glasses she’d seen him wear in interviews. She’d never really cared before. Glasses were glasses. Why did they have to make him look so delectable? The feeling of deja vu descended on her as she wondered why seeing things in person was so much more different than in media? She probably had an embarrassing number of pictures on her phone of Ben Solo, many of which he was wearing the same pair of glasses. She knew without even looking that none of those photos could come close to comparing to the flesh and blood man before her.

“Ben!” Poe’s shout shocked her from her stupor. “Turns out you didn’t make her up. Who knew?”

Rey watched as Ben’s face and ears turned a shade of pink that matched the lip gloss she’d decided to wear for the night. 

“Please shut up now,” Ben grumbled towards his guitarist as he stepped closer to her. “I’m really happy Phasma was able to find you. I wanted to see you again before the show. Nobody told me you were back here,” he shot an accusatory glance at his band before returning his attention to her, “or I would’ve been here sooner. Sorry about that.”

Rey felt her own blush heating up her cheeks at his words.

“That’s fine, you’re about to jump on a stage in front of a few thousand people. Definitely more important things to worry about than me. Besides, they’ve been telling stories.” She motioned with her head to the four band members watching them with fascination. Ben suddenly paled as he realized exactly what kind of stories they would have been telling her.

“Oh god,” he muttered to himself as his head dropped. “So I guess there’s no point trying to play it cool now, is there?” Before Rey could answer, Rose started giggling.

“Oh was that your plan?” his cellist teased him. “Because I’m pretty sure that plan flew out the window when you asked the head of security to find her for you.” The other three men laughed along with her while Rey did her best to stifle her own chuckles for Ben’s sake.

“I’m gonna ignore them now,” Ben mumbled. His cheeks flushed, and the tip of his ear that stuck out of his hair had turned bright pink. He seemed genuinely embarrassed by the comments so Rey took pity on him. When she took his hand, she felt the same little jolt of electricity she’d felt the night before.

“If it helps, it’s pretty flattering to know that you talked about me to your friends. I mean, you’re _you_ and I’m just a mere mortal. It’s nice.”

Ben sucked in a breath at her words and raked his free hand through his hair. His blush came back in full force then which made Rey smile even more.

“Can I give you my phone number?”

Rey fished her phone out of her crossbody bag and handed it to him. She watched as he entered his information before giving it back to her. After seeing that he’d put his contact name in as merely ‘Ben’, she laughed and quickly changed it to ‘Ben/Forest God’. As she sent him a text so he would have her information, a crew member walked in and called everyone to the stage for final sound checks. 

“It was nice meeting you Rey,” Rose patted her on the shoulder as she went by. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you much more often though so I’m just gonna say see you later!”

“Later Rey,” the other three chorused as they followed behind Rose, leaving her standing alone with Ben for the first time since he’d appeared.

Rey stared up into his eyes, unsure of what exactly she should say. Ben, thankfully, beat her to it.

“Look, this is gonna sound stupid and like a line but I can’t embarrass myself much more than I already have at this point so here it goes. We just met last night, like less than twenty-four hours ago, and it’s kind of fast but I feel something when I’m with you. Something I’ve never felt before and I think it would be a waste if I didn’t at least try. I totally get it if you think I’m a crazy person and don’t feel the same way but—“ Rey placed her hand on his chest, unable to stop herself from touching him when he was saying things like that.

“I feel it too,” she said simply. All the tension and nervousness in Ben’s body seemed to leave at her words and his responding smile was so soft, it broke her in the best possible way.

His phone dinged in his pocket as he received the text message she’d sent. As he looked at the message, she watched his face light up. She’d sent him a screenshot of the change she’d made to his name in her phone with the caption ‘the correct spelling of your name’.

“Ben, we need you for final sound check,” the same crew member from before returned.

“Gimme another minute,” Ben called back to him without turning his eyes away from Rey. The only time she’d felt so focused on by someone was when she was on a stage herself.

“You should go,” she whispered, not wanting him to get in trouble for her sake. “I’ve got a concert to see anyway.”

“Oh really? Who are you seeing?” His impish grin almost did her in.

“Just some guy, you’ve probably never heard of him.” Ben chuckled softly as he stepped closer to her. Like the night before, he leaned down and pressed his forehead to her own. The motion made her breath hitch.

“I hope he’s worthy of you.” For a third time, the poor crew member came in to call Ben to soundcheck which lead to Ben growling in irritation. “I should probably do that before they get mad. Enjoy the show Rey.” 

Rey watched as he followed the harried crew member down the hallway. When she turned to go. Phasma was standing in the doorway just smiling at her. Rey tried to look confident as she met the taller woman’s eyes and said,

“What?”

Phasma shrugged her shoulders but continued to smile as if she knew a secret.

“I’ve been his head of security since his first EP came out and I’ve never once seen him like that over someone. You’re certainly something special.”

Rey gasped softly at Phasma’s words. 

“I’m just Rey,” she breathed, “I’m nobody.” 

Phasma shook her head and laughed airily.

“Not to him.” When that left Rey somewhat speechless, Phasma smirked like she’d won an argument. “Now, let’s get you to your seat before the arena fills up.”

After Phasma deposited her in the VIP seating, Rey looked around at the steadily filling arena in awe. Ben performed in venues like this and bigger all the time. He was just as at home on a stage as she was, his stage just happened to be quite larger than hers. In that moment, Rey somehow just knew that she could actually make it. She had no idea exactly how she knew it but she did. She could feel it in her bones. One day, she was going to fill the same arena with adoring fans just as he did. The thought made her smile.

It didn’t take very long for the section Rey was in to fill up with more fans. She felt a bit odd after a moment when it seemed she was the only person by themself at the concert. After taking a cursory glance around her, Rey could confirm that everyone around her was either in a group or couple. She was used to being alone. Her traveling for work didn’t really allow for a social life. 

The crowd began to cheer and brought her out of her own thoughts. Her attention was drawn to the stage to see Rose and Hux walking out hand in hand. Honestly, Rey was pretty sure at that point that the only reason she hadn’t known they were married was because she was constantly distracted by Ben. Hux kissed Rose’s cheek as she sat down in her chair where her cello and violin were already set up. The crowd _ooh_ ed and _ahh_ ed as Hux made his way to the drum kit. From her vantage point, she’d could very clearly see a blush coloring his normally pale complexion. When she looked to Rose to see if she was blushing as well, she was surprised to see that Rose was already looking directly at her.

Rose waved enthusiastically at her which made people around Rey to ask if she knew her. After waving back, Rey answered with a cautious ‘sort of’ that seemed to create more questions than it answered. 

Finn was the next one on stage. He waved to the cheering crowd before taking his spot behind the keyboard already set up. Rey watched as he flung the strap of his bass over his head. His smile practically lit up the stage. 

When Poe ran out on stage, it was to cheers and applause. It was clear that he was quite accustomed to the attention. His guitar was an old Les Paul that Rey had lusted over more times than she would ever admit to out loud. The orange and white paint job didn’t go with any sort of aesthetic but that guitar was his baby. Rey knew from following the man on Twitter. He’d even named it! BB-8 didn’t make any sense as a name for a guitar as far as Rey was concerned but she supposed that was part of Poe’s charm.

Suddenly, the entire arena went black. The crowd roared, already knowing who was up next. Her heart pounded in her chest.

It was still dark when the opening notes of “Dinner & Diatribes” erupted from the speakers. Rey could just barely make out Ben’s looming form on stage directly in front of her. The song made her feel like she was in some bar in Louisiana, humidity thick enough you could drink the air. When the lights came up as Ben started to sing, Rey felt her heart change its rhythm to match the thumping beat of the music.

His eyes locked onto hers, an easy feat considering they were only a few feet away from each other, and the next lyrics out of his mouth weren’t exactly the same as they were on the album.

“ _My friends are a fate that befell you, Hell is the talking type_ ,” Rey’s breath caught in her throat at his change. If the wide eyes that all four band mates sent his way from behind him were any indication, Ben had certainly not gone over that lyric change with any of them. Did he do that because of her?

If the wave that Rose had sent her way before had caused people to ask questions, Ben’s lyric change while staring at her certainly got them all going. She couldn’t necessarily hear any of them but she could feel their eyes on her. They wanted to know who she was to Ben. Rey didn’t even know who she was to Ben.

The lingering looks continued throughout the rest of the song, but there were thankfully no more lyric changes. Rey knew the song was full of innuendo and double entendre, it was one of her favorite things about most of Ben’s songs, but somehow having the man’s eyes on her while singing those lines made them sink into her core. 

He was all smiles as the song finished, waving to the crowd. He looked at ease and genuinely happy on stage; performing his work for the throng of adoring fans. Rey felt his joy as if it were her own. The funny faces he made while playing “Would That I” made her laugh out loud. When Poe came to the front of the stage to share the mic with him during the chorus, Ben lowered the mic a little so that Poe wouldn’t have to stand on his tiptoes in order to sing along. This was clearly a friendly dig at Poe’s height because the other three on stage started laughing. Poe rolled his eyes but laughed all the same.

When the band started playing a more bluesy version of the second single from the new album, Rey realized that he seemed to like playing with the arrangements of his music. Even songs that Rey knew by heart and could play in her sleep became entirely new. 

Finn liked to lead the audience in clapping during “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene”. Everyone on stage sang in addition to playing their instruments. In the middle of the song, Ben stepped away from the mic and stalked over to where Rose was shredding on her violin. He watched her for a moment before copying what she’d just played on his guitar. Rose raised her bow to his eye level as he finished with a flourish. She shook her head as though she wasn’t impressed. When she drew the bow against the strings, the audience cheered. Ben’s rapid fingering on the frets was easily matched by Rose’s talents. When their duet came to an end, Ben returned to his mic.

“The inimitable Rose Tico, everyone!”

Sweat was beading on his forehead and gluing his hair in place by the time the song was over. While Ben waited for one of the guitar techs to bring out the guitar for the next song, he started to pull his hair back into the bun he was known for. This, to no one’s surprise, sent the audience into a tailspin. The roar of approval made Ben laugh and shake his head.

“Hush,” he laughed over the sound of the crowd once his hair was secure at the back of his head. “You’re making it weird. It’s just my hair.” A girl beside Rey screamed something about it being the hair of the gods which made him chuckle. “Thank you, I think. This next song is a favorite of mine from the first album. I recently heard it played by a very talented artist, and I felt a little...inspired. So here’s ‘From Eden’.”

His eyes locked onto hers once again as he started the opening strains of the song. That he considered her talented wasn’t exactly a secret, he’d told her as much during the previous night. But to have him talk about her on a stage in front of so many people made Rey’s stomach do strange little flips. Of course, no one knew he was talking about her, but she knew. That was enough for her. 

Rey’s blood got hot when the band started playing “Moment’s Silence”. Known for being one of his most sexual songs, she couldn’t help the way her skin flushed when he stared at her throughout the most suggestive lyrics. He’d famously said in an interview about the song, “If you want a metaphor about oral sex, here you go.” The song was incredible already but when the singer was performing the song to you, it became something else entirely.

The concert ended with the song that rocketed him to stardom and the audience enthusiastically sang along. When he knelt down to touch hands with the crowd, arms shot up everywhere. His hand connected with her own on the line “ _to keep the goddess on my side_ ” and he stopped moving. Just standing there, holding her hand in front of the crowd, he finished the verse. Yet more questions for her fellow VIPers to ask.

There it was again, that...connection. The electricity that seemed to flow through them whenever they touched. Rey’s breath caught in her throat and she couldn’t even sing along. She just stood there, dumbfounded. Even with the stage lighting, she could see his pupils were blown as he stared down at her. His eyes only left hers when he stood back up and continued the song but Rey was gone. Like an out of body experience, she watched the rest of the concert from the ceiling. The song finished up and the crowd cheered for each band member as Ben introduced them. They joined in a line at the front of the stage to take their bows together before Ben thanked the audience for coming. He was the last to leave the stage, taking a couple more bows to the sound of cheering screams..

She was gathering her things when the security officer Phasma had introduced her to earlier in the evening, Kaydel, walked up to her with a smile on her face. 

“You ready?”

Rey stared blankly at the woman for a moment before she scrunched her nose.

“For what? Am I being escorted to the meet and greet too?” Kaydel simply laughed gently and shook her head.

“A little later, yeah. Right now though, I’ve been told to bring you backstage. You’ve still got your crew pass right? If not, I’ve got an extra you can have. My security badge is all I really need.”

Rey blindly grabbed at the lanyard around her neck to show Kaydel that she had the pass still. She remembered Phasma telling her that Kaydel would be the person she would see later in the night but she’d been a bit too starstruck to fully comprehend that information at the time.

After the concert she’d just experienced, she felt it was perfectly acceptable to still be starstruck. 

“You know,” Kaydel laughed as the made their way through the crowd, “when I worked security for The Hutts, they would constantly want us to go out and grab groupies for them to hook up with. I always refused of course, which led to Phasma finding me and offering me a spot on her team. Ben’s never had us do anything like that. Until now, that is.”

“Wait, what?” Rey grabbed onto Kaydel’s arm as they stepped into an empty hallway. Ben wasn’t like that. He was never anything but respectful to his fans. Plus, he’d said that he felt something between them. That hadn’t felt like just a line. When Kaydel turned, she saw the look on Rey’s face and shook her head.

“Oh god no, that was a joke. Ben doesn’t do that kind of thing. You should’ve seen him when he was giving us your description this morning. He was so embarrassed that he was even asking us to find you. It was so adorable. Kept talking about how he just really needed to see you again.” Kaydel stopped, a small grin ghosting across her face at the memory, and shook her head. “Trust me, you’re not some notch on his bedpost.”

Rey released a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, hating how much relief Kaydel’s words gave her. She didn’t want to be some groupie conquest but nothing Ben had done so far had made her feel that way. It was her own insecurities sewing thoughts in her mind so she resolved to shut that voice out. If he actually wanted to get to know her, and the fact that he’d given her his phone number earlier spoke to the truth, Rey was going to enjoy it. She wanted to know him as well, past the celebrity and as a human being. If she let her mind reject that opportunity just because it had fallen into her lap, she’d never forgive herself. 

“Thank you,” she finally responded to Kaydel.

It wasn’t long before they reached the green room from the beginning of the night, but it was empty. Kaydel continued down the hall until she reached a door that had a star posted on the jamb. She didn’t bother knocking, just flung the door open to reveal Rose, Hux, Finn, and Poe all doing some kind of silly dance in the middle of the floor. They’d all already changed out of the clothes they’d worn on stage only moments before

At the back of the room bent over in front of the mirror, Ben was brushing out his hair. She absently wondered if he’d managed to take a shower in the time it had taken her and Kaydel to weave their way backstage because his hair was dripping. It couldn’t have been sweat, not that much at least.

The four dancing band mates turned when Kaydel cleared her throat and saw that Rey was standing there again. Poe’s happy smile instantly morphed into a Cheshire-esque grin.

“Oh lover boy,” he called out behind him, “Rey’s here!”

Ben rose up like a flash at his friend’s words, quickly flipping his hair out of his face. When their eyes met in the mirror, Rey felt absolute joy bubbling up inside her. The smile on his face told her felt the same.

As she walked further into the room, he met her in three strides. With his hands cupping her face, Ben brought their foreheads together. As his nose brushed along the bridge of hers, Rey felt her breath leave her lungs in a rush. 

Beside them, Finn and Poe began humming “Kiss the Girl”. The humming morphed into easily the most obnoxious singing Rey had ever heard in her life.

_“Sha la la la la la, my oh my. Look like the boy too shy. Ain't gonna kiss the girl!”_

Rose, thank the gods for her, rolled her eyes and began dragging them out of the dressing room.

“That’s quite enough from you two,” she said but it was practically drowned out by the sounds of Finn and Poe singing even louder, shouting the lyrics as they were ushered through the doorway. 

_“Sha la la la la la! Don't be scared! You got the mood prepared! Go on and kiss the girl!”_

Rey watched, completely unable to keep the smile from her face, as Rose made Hux push Finn while she pulled at Poe’s arms. As they rounded the corner, she heard the smaller woman groan, 

“You two should really consider being adults every once in a while.”

Once they were finally out of earshot, Ben walked over and shut the door. When he turned back around, his low chuckle sent shivers down Rey’s spine.

“As annoying as _that_ was, it was honestly all I could think about through the whole show.”

Rey gasped at his admission. When he stepped closer again, his breath fanned across her face. His eyes were dark, like espresso just waiting to give her a jolt of adrenaline.

“Me too,” Rey admitted as she licked her lips. Ben groaned softly as she brought her hands up to his neck. Her thumbs ran along the shells of his ears and into the wet mess that was his hair. 

“Can I?”

With her heart in her throat, she wasn’t sure where she found her voice enough to eke out a breathy _please._

His lips pressed to hers in the next instant and Rey felt her soul sing out. He was warm, and tasted of spearmint gum. When he sucked at her bottom lip, her fingers tightened in his hair. His tongue flicked at her lips as if to tease but Rey simply responded in kind. His arms wrapped around her lower back and pulled her flush against him. He was solid, safe, and warm. She wanted more.

It wasn’t a chaste kiss, it couldn’t have been. Not with the way he had teased her through his show. But, there wasn’t much in the way of privacy, so she kept herself from escalating. When Ben pulled back, his eyes were black, lips kiss-swollen. Rey was sure she looked much the same, positive that any lipgloss she’d been wearing was long gone.

“That was _perfect_ ,” Ben whispered against her face. Rey couldn’t speak, so she simply nodded against him. “Would you like to come to the meet and greet with me?”

Rey pulled back with a laugh and shook her head.

“I don’t think either of us are ready for the rumors that would foster,” she admitted. Ben’s hands drifted down her arms until their hands joined between them. He sighed gently as a soft smile came to his face.

“Honestly, I couldn’t give less of a fuck what anyone thinks.” Rey started to protest but Ben continued, “but, I understand the need for anonymity so I can’t hold it against you.”

Rey smiled, happy that he understood. While she hoped for a modicum of his level of fame some day, she didn’t want to think of the rumors that could be started about her if she was seen with Ben after the show he’d just put on.

“Thank you. I’d much rather do the meet and greet like all the other proper fans. How else am I supposed to get a selfie with the Forest God himself?” Ben rolled his eyes as she laughed.

“We can take one now? Let me see your phone real quick.”

Rey fished her phone and handed it to him. As he held the phone out so they could see themselves in the screen, Rey smiled at the silly face Ben made. But just before he hit the button to take the picture, he turned his head and kissed her on the cheek. Rey gasped when it happened, while Ben continued to take more photos of her shocked face.

When he handed her phone back to her, Rey looked through the photos he’d snapped. She picked her two favorites and quickly set them as her lock screen and her home screen before putting it back in her pocket.

“I should probably go get in line now,” Rey muttered reluctantly, not really wanting to leave him quite yet.

“Yeah I’ve gotta get out there too.” His voice sounded a little dejected. He looked down and shuffled his feet, entirely unenthusiastic about parting from her. 

They decided that Rey should leave first since she needed to actually get in line for the meet and greet. Ben would be led there by someone from the security team anyway.

When Rey opened the dressing room door, Kaydel was standing there waiting. 

“Ready for the meet and greet? I mean, you’ve already done a fair amount of greeting but you know what I mean.” Rey had to laugh at that. Kaydel was definitely right in that respect.

Following Kaydel, they arrived at the line for the meet and greet in no time. Rey thanked the woman for essentially babysitting her for the end of the night and found out that Kaydel was a hugger too.

“You’re good for him, I can tell,” Kaydel whispered to her before she left her in line. Rey watched as the security officer joined the rest of her team at the doors behind the tables set up for Ben and the band to sit at.

Just before the doors opened, Rey phone dinged with a new message. When she looked, she saw it was from Ben.

Ben/Forest God 10:15pm

**I know the tour doesn’t end for another month but I want to continue this thing we have. Would it be okay if I called and texted you every so often?**

Rey couldn’t have kept the smile from her face if she tried.

Rey 10:16pm

**I’d love that!**

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I couldn’t have written this without the unfailing support and beta-ing of JustAnotherSailorScout. She’s been incredible throughout this process.


	3. Run to Me Lover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as ever to JustAnotherSailorScout for the beta-ing and to drnucleus for also beta-ing whenever I got anxious.

The picture that filled her screen was of a familiar backside seemingly running through a doorway. The caption Rose had sent with it made her smile almost as much as the photo itself.

**Rose: Take one wild guess where he’s running like a bat outta hell.**

Rose had begged Ben for her phone number shortly after finding out that he had it. Only after Rey had given him permission to let her have it did he give it to her. After that, it was only a matter of time before everyone in the band had stolen Rose’s phone for the purpose of pilfering Rey’s phone number from it.

***

**_Unknown Number: Rey! Rose left phone open we all have ur # now haha_ **

**_Unknown Number: Drunk txting Bens gf after shows is gonna b fun_ **

**_Unknown Number: I regret to inform you that my wife left her phone unattended around the children. I preemptively apologize for whatever drivel they decide to flood you with. This is Hux btw since I’m sure the other two didn’t see fit to identify themselves._ **

**_Rose: omfg I’m gonna kill Finn n Poe! I’m so sorry._ **

***

In the three months since that fateful concert, the entire group had taken turns sending her embarrassing photos of Ben backstage, in hotel rooms, and on the tour bus. She always looked forward to those.

***

_ Rey watched as the three little dots at the bottom of her screen continued to blink. She giggled to herself, pleased that he actually seemed to be attempting her dare. _

_ The phone began to vibrate in her hand as Hux’s face filled the screen, FaceTiming her. Hux only ever really texted her to complain about whatever antics the rest of the band was getting into. Curious, she accepted the call. _

_ “Hey Hux, how is everyone?” _

_ On her screen, the man in question rolled his eyes. _

_ “Hello Rey, I take it you’re the reason Solo is currently acting like an utter fool?” _

_ Deciding to play dumb, because she knew it would annoy the ginger drummer, Rey replied, _

_ “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” _

_ Quickly, the phone’s camera turned so the outward facing view filled her screen. Rey gasped softly at the sight that greeted her. _

_ Ben was sitting at one of the tables in their tour bus, head down and pecking away at his phone, with his nose. _

_ Rey couldn’t stop her laughter from bubbling up and out. The screen showed Hux’s face once more as he looked at her expectantly. _

_ “I may or may not have told him that there was no way he could form a coherent text message using only his nose. It looks like he took it upon himself to prove me wrong.” The innocent lilt to her voice only served to make Hux roll his eyes once more. _

_ “The two of you will be the death of me.” _

_ Offscreen, a mumbled ‘fuck’ could be heard. She guessed that he’d messed up on a word.  _

_ “Armie, you and I both know that Finn and Poe will be the death of you before either of us get the chance.” A small smirk flitted across his face though she could tell he was trying to fight it. _

_ “You make a valid point.” _

_ “Hey is that Rey? Turn your camera back around! I want her to see me proving her wrong!” _

_ Hux did as requested and Rey saw, again, Ben using the tip of his nose to painstakingly tap out a message to her. Rey quickly took a screenshot of him as she continued watching. When Hux turned the camera back on himself, his eyes were crinkled with is own poorly hidden mirth.  _

_ “You know, if I weren’t hopelessly in love with my darling wife, I would think you were both out of your bloody minds. As it is, I understand how crazy young love can be.” _

_ Rey forced her mind to not focus the L word he’d just said, It was far too soon to throw that around.  _

_ “Okay grandpa, you and Ben are the same age. It’s not like you have decades of experience to draw from.” _

_ In the background, a victorious ‘whoop’ sounded out. Ben’s attempt seemed to be a success.  _

_ “On the contrary, I have been married to Rose for three years which is three years longer than either of you have been married. And I promise you, you and Ben remind me of Rose and I in the beginning.” _

_ Rey felt her breath go short. It was one thing to imagine a future with Ben. It was something else entirely for one of his best friends to admit to imagining that future as well.  _

_ “Thank you Armitage. That really means a lot.” _

_ Her phone dinged with a new message from Ben, his nose-composed one. _

_ “Hux, I’d like to talk to my Sunlight now if you don’t mind.” Rey’s heart sped up at the nickname Ben had taken to calling her over the past couple weeks.  _

_ “I suppose that’s my cue to hang up before he throws a fit.” _

***

Her phone had been chock full of photos before they’d met but they’d all been saved from the internet. Now, the majority of photos she possessed of him had been sent directly to her. Selfies he sent her after a show, screenshots from whenever they would FaceTime or Skype with each other, and an absolute treasure trove of candids taken from those closest to him on a daily basis.

Their communication had become a constant in her day to day life. Rey often began her day with a text from Ben and a FaceTime call before she went to bed. 

***

_ “Are you having fun in New York?” _

_ Ben was on night three of a five night residency at the Hammerstein Ballroom as part of the tour. The show had ended a few hours before but he’d waited until he’d gotten back to his hotel room before FaceTiming her. _

_ She watched as he stretched out on the plush comforter, his hair fanned out on the pillow. She imagined she looked much the same, just in a far less luxurious environment. _

_ “I’d be having more fun if you were here with me.” His voice had a pout to it that tugged at her heart. “I miss you. I keep seeing stuff I know you would love and I just want to share it with you.” _

_ “Share it with me now.” _

_ As he began to recount the day to her, Rey felt soothed by the sound of his voice as always. _

***

She couldn’t count the times she’d fallen asleep to the soothing sound of his voice as they recounted their days to each other. For the first time in her life, Rey had someone who truly cared about her and wanted to be a part of her life.

He made it so easy to fall for him, to let her guard down, reveal every secret she’d kept behind lock and key her entire life. She’d never trusted anyone the way she trusted him. It didn’t make any sense, if she was being honest. Growing up in a volatile foster home had meant always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’d been afraid to make any friends for fear they would just leave her like her parents had. Music had been her way of coping with her self-inflicted solitude. As soon as she’d revealed her fears to Ben, he’d made it his mission to prove to her that he wasn’t going anywhere. He refused to let something as arbitrary as distance truly keep them apart. After about a month, Rey had begun to let herself believe him.

And now the tour was over.

And, according to Rose, he was heading her way.

Rey had thought that she’d convinced him to take some for himself after the tour ended. He’d spent over a year being constantly surrounded by his band, security, fans, and all of the other stress that came with touring a new album.

Apparently, Ben had other plans. Plans she was probably not supposed to know about.

Rey wasn’t entirely sure where they were though. She didn’t know how long it would take him to get to her apartment. Since he’d insisted on mailing her things for the duration of the tour (her thoughts drifted to the box of trinkets and souvenirs he’d sent her, each one paired with a beautiful handwritten letter about the city they’d come from), he knew her address.

Rey looked around the apartment, pleased that she’d cleaned it the day before. That meant that she at least had time to shower and make herself presentable. She’d spent her day on the couch lining up enough paying gigs that she would be able to pay her rent for the next two months. She kind of hated that aspect of her chosen profession but she knew that it was one of the best ways to get her name out there. Her  _ bandcamp  _ page had also had quite an uptick in traffic lately so that meant she had a bit of a cushion if some of the gigs got canceled for whatever reason.

By the time Rey had dried her hair and pulled it back into her signature style, her stomach was starting to rumble. She decided to wear her favorite dress, a red and black plaid skater dress that had pockets, and her thrifted pair of well-loved Converse. Just as she’d finished applying a touch of lipgloss and mascara, there was a knock on her front door.

Her heart sped up instantly. She couldn’t stop it. Almost positive it was him, Rey ran through her apartment and flung the door open.

And there he was.

Her body didn’t allow her even the time to truly take him in. She just lunged.

If he was surprised by her reaction to his appearance, he masked it by gathering her in his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. She kissed him with all the hunger she’d felt for him over the past few months they’d been apart. It didn’t matter that the only other kiss they’d shared insofar had been a relatively chaste one. The letters, the flirty text messages, some of the hottest phone sex she’d experienced in her life, it all compounded the need to be as close to him as possible.

As his tongue curled around hers, he stepped into the apartment and managed to close the door behind him. Rey couldn’t help herself as she rubbed her center against the ridges of his abdomen. A wanton moan escaped her as Ben’s fingers curled into her backside. Finally being able to touch him after so long was almost too much. Fingers tangled up in locks, pulling closer still. 

“Fuck, it’s so good to actually have you in my arms.” Whispered during gasps for air, Rey had heard no sweeter words.

“I missed you so much,” her breathless tone made him grin against her mouth.

Without any warning, Ben pulled back. His eyes traveled from hers, lightly done with makeup, to her kiss swollen lips. From there, he seemed to take notice of her dress, really taking her in for the first time since she’d lunged at him.

He quirked a brow at her and said,

“I was planning on surprising you but you seem pretty prepared. Who spilled the beans?”

Her mind warred for a moment as she debated whether she should tell him who’d ruined his surprise. She knew that everyone in the band had a soft spot for Rose, not only her husband. As the only female on the tour, she’d been deemed a little sister to Ben, Poe, and Finn. That knowledge meant that it was highly unlikely that Ben would be upset with her. Probably annoyed, but definitely not angry.

With a sheepish expression, Rey reached into the pocket of her dress and grabbed her phone. When she showed him the picture, the grin his face morphed into was blinding. 

“Well,” he shrugged, “she’s not wrong. I usually hate meetings as it is but knowing that I was coming here afterward just made it drag on forever.”

Rey laughed as he extended the last three words past their necessary syllables.

“She didn’t say where you guys were but I figured it had to be close. Otherwise, she would just be teasing. So I got ready just in case.”

Ben leaned in and pressed his lips to the tip of her nose before returning her feet to the ground.

“You look perfect.”

Rey felt her cheeks warm under the compliment.

“So do you.”

The tips of his ears turned pick as they peaked through his hair.

“One of the things I wanted to surprise you with was—“ Rey’s sudden laughter interrupted him.

“You mean your presence isn’t the only surprise?”

“Well that’s hardly a surprise anymore since Rose spoiled it. No, this is something I’ve wanted since that first night in that little coffee shop.” He paused, letting Rey’s mind run rampant with possibilities before having mercy on her. “I want to take you out on a real date. Don’t get me wrong, our little Skype dates while the tour was going were amazing. But, I want more. I want to sit across a table from you. Share a meal with you. Just,  _ be _ with you.”

Rey had always thought the idea of one’s heart swelling to be a silly cliche. But with Ben’s words, coupled with the way his hands hadn’t started from her body since she dragged him through the door, emotion welled up in her like a river breaking its banks.

“That sounds perfect.”

Relief flooded his eyes, as though he’d actually been concerned that Rey wouldn’t want something like that. Which was utterly ridiculous.

She wanted  _ everything _ with him.

“Awesome, I saw this Irish pub on my way here that looked really cool. Would that be okay with you?”

“The Morrígan? I love that restaurant. I swear they have they have the best fish & chips this side of the pond.”

Rey bounced on the balls of her feet, excited that she would get to share yet another one of her favorite places with him. Maz’s coffee shop had already held a special place in her heart before Ben had shown up and turned her world upside down. Now another was about to be added to a, hopefully, growing list.

Ben’s features went soft as he leaned down and captured her lips once more in a quick kiss. Her cheeks warmed at his gentleness. 

“What was that for?”

Ben shrugged his shoulders and replied,

“Seeing you excited makes me happy, as does kissing you. Figured I could combine the two.”

————-

Once inside the restaurant, Ben stopped in his tracks. Rey followed his gaze over to the bar, confused as to why he was staring so intently at the ginger man laughing with one of his employees. 

“What’s wrong?”

Ben motioned with his chin before replying,

“That guy could be Hux’s twin.”

Rey took a second look and tried to imagine Hux with Ben’s shoulder-length hair and a full beard. She supposed she could see similarities but  _ twin _ ? Certainly not.

“Domhnall? He owns the place. And he looks way more like Bill Weasley from  _ Harry Potter _ than Hux anyway. Come on.”

Taking Ben’s hand, Rey wove them between tables until they reached her favorite one in the back corner. It also happened to afford them a bit of privacy in case Ben was recognized. 

No sooner had they sat down than Domhnall was at their table, menus in hand. 

“Almost didn’t see ya sneakin’ on me Rey.” The Irish accent never failed to put her at ease. As he placed a menu in front of Ben, he paused for a second. “Hey, you’re that Solo bloke, aren’t ya? The singer and whatnot?”

Ben nodded his head with a tiny grin and offered his hand to the restauranteur.

“That’s me, it’s nice to meet you. Rey has told me only good things about the fish & chips.”

At that, Domhnall snorted. “She should know, it’s the only thing she ever gets.”

Rey rolled her eyes at the ribbing and pretended to look over the menu. 

“You know, I’ve always meant to try the shepherd’s pie, because it looks incredible, but then I get here and I automatically get the fish & chips every time. Guess I’m a creature of habit.”

In response, Ben handed his menu back to Domhnall and said,

“Then let’s get both. You get your usual, I’ll get the shepherd’s pie, and we’ll share.”

The idea of sharing food with Ben, eating off of each other’s plates, like  _ couples _ did, filled Rey with a number of entirely inappropriate thoughts of what other kinds of things they could share. With a deep breath, she replied,

“That’s sounds fantastic.”

By the time their food came out, Ben had recounted some funny stories from the tour that hadn’t managed to make it into their daily phone calls and texts. Rey found out the reason for the uptick in traffic on her  _ bandcamp  _ page as he revealed that he’d been talking her up at his meet and greets whenever he got the chance. Normally, she would’ve balked at the idea of a famous artist plugging her work. It always seemed forced, like a record executive had forced the artist to plug another as a means to money grab. But she knew that wasn’t the case with Ben. No, if he was telling people about her work, it was because he believed in her and her music. That idea was still heady, even after months of confiding in him about everything. 

It wasn’t until she noticed the waitstaff putting chairs up on top of tables that she realized how much time had passed. Their plates had been cleared long ago but they’d happily continued their conversation.

Ben took notice of it about the same time as he sat back and smiled, a motion that made her stomach flip on its head.

“Well, I’d say this has been a pretty successful third date.”

Rey choked a bit on her last sip of tea as she realized what he’d said. 

“Excuse me, third? Either I was absent for the first two or your counting is way off.”

Ben laughed, that even chuckle when he found something genuinely amusing and it made his eyes crinkle.

“When we first met, in the coffee shop, I’m definitely counting that as a date. It even ended with you in my arms.” Rey narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger in his face.

“You’d just surprised me with amazing tickets to your show and I was excited.” 

Ben raised his hands in mock surrender. “I wasn’t complaining. I’m still counting it.” His eyebrows raised in challenge, daring her to argue with him. Rey sat back, deciding to see where he was going with this.

“And our second date?”

“Our second date is more of a combination of our interactions. That kiss backstage was almost the death of me but then I got to know you further after that. All of our Skype dinners, incredible phone sex which, I feel the need to remind you, I’d never done before, just talking to you everyday, I like to think of these past three months as one huge encompassing second date spanning great distances. Which means this,” he tapped his long fingers on the table between them, “is our third date.”

While Rey thought his logic was quite flawed, she had to admit that she liked the conclusion he’d landed on. Which was the only explanation she could think of for the reason she decided to joke,

“Well you know what usually happens on third dates.”

Again, his ever expressive eyebrow quirked up at her comment. Though he chuckled, he still reached across the table and took her hand in his own.

“Full transparency Rey, I’ve been thinking of exactly that since the moment you jumped into my arms. And now that I actually know you as a person, even more so. So, you know, I’m down for any and all third date activities if you are.”

Residual embarrassment caused Rey’s entire body to flush. She swallowed, the next words caught on her tongue, knowing that she was on the precipice of something extraordinary. 

“Do you want to get out of here?”

—————-

They’d barely made it into her apartment before she was tugging at his clothes to get them off. Immediately wasn’t soon enough for him to be naked. Thankfully, he took mercy on her and dragged his shirt up and off. Momentarily, Rey was distracted by the sheer expanse of skin on display. While they’d seen each other without clothes through a phone or computer screen, this was the first time for them in person and Rey found herself short of breath. He was practically chiseled from Italian marble, all pale skin and beauty marks dotting his chest.

Before she could stop herself, Rey leaned forward and ran her tongue along his pectorals. The action caused him to hiss as he pulled her closer. Just before her back hit the wall, Ben flipped her around. She turned her head to look at him as he reached for the zipper on her dress. Their eyes met and Rey was positive his had gone entirely black.

“I’ve wanted to peel this dress off of you since you opened the door earlier.”

His warm breath on the nape of her neck caused her whole body to pulse with need. As the cool air of the apartment touched each new inch of skin he revealed, Rey waited with a coy smile for him to discover a secret she’d kept all night. His sharp intake of breath let her know he’d found it.

“You haven’t been wearing a bra this entire time?” As he spoke, his hand drifted along her bared back. Rey nodded her head, feeling his lips press against her skin. “You’re killing me here Rey,” his voice pitched lower than she’d ever heard it. The sound shot straight to her core, clinching around nothing and aching with need.

His torturous pace suddenly quickened and the dress pooled at her feet in no time. Rey startled as she felt his teeth sink into the meat of her shoulder. Her responding moan didn’t sound anything like her but she didn’t care. Rey turned herself back around, the desire to kiss him too much to bear any longer. Their mouths pressed together, tongues finding a rhythm all their own. Blindly, she reached for his waist and made quick work of his jeans. When her hand slipped inside his underwear, a gasp escaped her as she touched him. But before she could wrap her hand around him, Ben shook his head.

“If you do that, I can’t promise I won’t fuck you against this wall.” Rey reached for him once again, scoffing,

“I’m not seeing a problem here.”

Ben batted her hands away again before directing her arms around his neck. In a breath, Rey found herself lifted in the air. Ben’s thick fingers dug into the globes of her ass as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She rocked against him, teasingly. Her lace underwear already damp, it left a spot on his boxers. She could feel him almost smirk in her ear. 

“Oh I’m definitely planning on fucking you against the wall, and on the couch, in the kitchen, on the bathroom counter, the shower, and every other available surface you’ve got in here. But I’m not a complete animal. The first time we have sex, it’s going to be in a bed.” The comment was made so matter-of-factly that Rey had no need to argue. Wordlessly, she pointed down the hall to her bedroom.

When Ben sat her down at the foot of her bed, Rey could clearly see the outline of him in his underwear. She couldn’t help herself any longer. Her hand darted out and she could immediately feel the heat of him, the weight. When she reached in for a second time, he didn’t stop her.

He was still breathing heavily through his nose, as she explored him.

“You’re massive,” she whispered, mostly to herself, but he heard it all the same. “I mean, you looked huge in the pictures we shared but,” she paused as she fisted him with both hands and there was still quite a bit of him left untouched. “Fuck,” she breathed.

Without even thinking, Rey leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the head of him. When she peered up at him through her lashes, he was already staring right back. The look in his eyes, like he couldn’t believe she was real, is what made her push forward again. With her hands and mouth, she worked him until his abs started quivering and he was out of breath.

He took hold of her hair and tugged gently so she would release him. The question on the tip of her tongue was answered with a simple but growled,

“My turn.”

He dropped to his knees in front of her, like an altar he was prepared to worship, and all she saw was a wicked grin before he buried his head between her legs. Rey groaned when he pulled her underwear aside and licked a slow stripe up her slit. Ben used his entire face to eat her out. His nose nudged at her clit with every tiny movement he made while his lips sucked at her labia. But when he pressed two thick fingers into her at the same time he latched onto her clit, Rey’s back arched off of the bed as she cried out.

“Fuck fuck  _ fuck _ !”

She could feel the smug smile against her skin in response.

“I should have known you would taste like a fantasy, you’ve been mine for long enough.”

Rey could already feel her orgasm barreling towards her, threatening to knock her off her axis with its force. Ben could apparently sense it as well because he pulled away to look up at her. Rey rolled her hips insistently, craving any kind of friction she could get at that point. A needy whine passed through her lips only to be silenced as Ben crawled up her body. His fingers were still inside her, moving only slightly, as his mouth split its time between each breast. Her nipples were hard enough to cut glass already but when his teeth scraped one, she felt a flood of moisture surround his fingers as her body tried to pull the digits in even further. 

When he lifted his head, she found a seriousness in his gaze that made her freeze.

“Ben,” she whispered as her fingers threaded in his hair and pushed it away from his face.

“Can I, will you let me make love to you Rey?”

Rey took instant notice of the change in the words he’d used from the living room. She understood the meaning behind that change.

She’d already fallen half in love with him over the last few months and he seemed to feel the same for her. The knowledge made her heart leap into her throat but not from fear.

From excitement.

“Please Ben,” she whispered against his mouth.

Balancing on one hand next to her head, Ben used his thumb to stroke against her clit, working her up again. She rocked her hips forward, trying to guide him inside her, but he kept teasing. She looked up at him, his eyes half lidded and his pupils blown black. She was sure she didn’t look much better. Once his touch had her writhing underneath him again, she felt him nudge against her center. He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead as he pushed inside of her. 

A garbled sound came out of Rey’s mouth. He was, well, he was large. It was just on  _ this _ side of painful, but she found she craved it. He stayed still inside of her, letting her adjust to his size.    
  


After a moment, she pushed up against him, ready. “Ben,” she choked out. “I need you to move.”

Sensations blurred with each touch, each thrust. Kisses came between words of devotion she’d never imagined hearing from anyone. Never imagined believing until he’d spoken them. He filled every part of her, body and soul. The pistoning of his hips was measured to bring her pleasure to tantric heights while his mouth only left hers to whisper some of the sweetest and filthiest things she’d ever heard.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he breathed against her cheek. “About us, about  _ this _ .” His movements punctuated his words, driving the point even further. She moaned as Ben sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “Your pussy is addicting,  _ fuck _ I can’t wait to taste you again. But we’ll have time for all of that later.” His head dropped to her chest as he groaned against her skin, pushing deeper with each slow thrust. “I’ve had this dream so many times now, Rey,” she could barely hear him over the sound of her own breathing, “and I never want to wake up. This time I’ll get to wake up with you.” When Ben reached between them, she felt his calloused finger tap against her clit. Rey hissed as he hit her g-spot on a particularly deep stroke at the same time. His resulting smile was blinding in the dark of the room. “I want to hear that sound for the rest of my life.” 

The room filled with their breathing as their climax approached. Their eyes locked on to each other, seemingly afraid the other would disappear if they looked away for even a second. When tears began to leak from her eyes over the unspoken emotion between them, he kissed them away with a gentleness that took her breath away. As soon as Rey felt like she couldn't possibly take anymore, Ben rose to his knees. His thrusts quickened as he put his arms under her legs to open them wider. Rey gasped at just how full he made her feel.

Their shared orgasm lapped at them like water on a shore, gently rolling through them with an intensity that took them both by surprise. Ben bowed over her body, each of them clinging to the other to ride out the waves.

As Ben went to pull out, Rey curled a leg around his backside.

“Stay, inside,” she whimpered, needing the closeness he so freely gave to her. Ben obliged her, peppering her face with kisses as she came down. By the time he’d softened, Rey had caught her breath and looked up at him with a sleepy but sated smile.

“How did I get so lucky,” he whispered, hand cupping her cheek. Rey laughed, wanting to say the exact same thing to him.

He managed to maneuver them underneath the blankets and smiled when she curled against him. Just before she fell asleep on his chest, she could’ve sworn she heard him humming one of her songs.

The one about finding your place after a lifetime of searching. It seemed to hold so much more meaning now.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only the epilogue left!


	4. Epilogue: The Bones Are Good in the Woods Somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn’t have done this without you Meg!

_ Green. _

__ _ So much green. _

__ _ More than should have any right to exist. _

__ _ Emerald, kelly, jade, olive, celadon, myrtle, moss, sage; they all shifted and danced together in the sea they created.  _

__ _ Their forest, their haven, their temple. _

__ _ Where supplicants came to offer them worship, knees falling on grass so thick and lush it cushioned their limbs as a pillow would. _

__ _ Animals offered fresh kills with heads bowed low. The humans among them followed suit. _

__ _ For the gods of the forest, benevolent as they were, asked for nothing in return for the protection they offered those they allowed to share in their land. But some forms of worship, the old ways of sacrifice and penitence, were hard for those of the earth to forget. _

__ _ A hush fell over those gathered, the air thick with anticipation. _

__ _ They were coming! _

__ _ The trees moved aside for them as they passed, bowing their trunks so as not to impede their path. The group divided themselves down the middle, a vast aisle left between them to ensure there was enough room. Children clamored for spots at the edge, wishing to see a glimpse of the old ones their parents told them about in bedtime stories. Squirrels scurried up into the branches for a better view.  _

__ _ The goddess stepped into the clearing first, her beauty preternatural. The light she cloaked herself in matched the fire in her eyes. Wildflowers grew where her feet had touched the ground, as if the earth itself wished to thank her for gracing it with her presence. _

__ _ When she turned to beckon the god, her lover, down the aisle, heads turned to follow the motion. For as long as anyone could remember, he’d always come second into these gatherings. Legends stated that it was the goddess who convinced the god to come out of hiding and meet his people in the first place. He always seemed to need a bit more encouragement. But for the goddess, he would rearrange the heavens, earth, and underworld if it would but please her. He was much like the worshippers in this regard. _

__ _ Standing at the edge of the clearing, his eyes never left hers. She was his tether, his gravity, his twin soul. The smile he reserved only for her, the smile that some myths of them were built upon, that smile bloomed on his face as he walked to join her. As he followed the flowered trail she’d left in her wake, patches of shamrocks sprouted to match his steps. _

__ _ At the touch of their hands, a warmth spread out to cocoon the forest and each of its inhabitants. _

__ _ Kisses were once thought to be a human form of connection, something beneath the deities that ruled the ethereal planes. But perhaps kisses originated with the gods. For when the god and goddess’ lips pressed together in a heated embrace, one wouldn’t be amiss to think they’d been doing it far longer than the human race had even existed.  _

__ _ Twisted branches and vines emerged from the ground, forming themselves into a vaguely recognizable shape until two thrones had formed against the base of the largest tree in the forest. The divine ones turned to sit in tandem as if linked by a thread. _

__ _ The ceremony the entire forest waited a year for was about to begin. _

  
Sunlight filtered through the blinds and Rey’s eyelids, making further sleep impossible. She burrowed further into Ben’s side to escape the harsh light. They really needed to invest in some room darkening curtains for the bedroom.

“S’really good dream, everything all green and people worshipping us,” Ben mumbled above her. Rey sleepily nodded her head in agreement, the motion causing her hair to fan against his chest.

“I know, we had our own little forest and everything. It was so beautiful.”

At that moment, Ben and Rey both sat straight up in the bed. 

“Did we just—“

“—have the same dream?”

They stared at each other in wonder, the dream replaying in both their minds. After almost three years together, they’d never imagined being so in sync. They’d often joked about their brains being linked together whenever they finished each other’s sentences but dream sharing was a whole other animal.

“Whoa,” Ben breathed with a grin. 

“Yeah,” she agreed.

Ben ducked his head to press his lips to hers. She felt her skin heat up at the attention. It never failed to surprise her how responsive her body was to him, even after all this time. Smiling against his mouth, Rey pulled herself up on her knees and straddled him. Like a magnet, his hands were drawn to her hips to hold her still. Both still nude from sleep, they gasped softly as Ben’s erection jutted up proudly between them. The fluid leaking from the tip smeared across her stomach. 

When the alarms on their phones started blaring to life from the bedside table, they both released identical groans of frustration. 

Then it dawned on her just why they’d set the infernal alarms to begin with.

The  _ Billboard Music Awards _ were tonight!

“Shit, we only have an hour to get showered and dressed before everyone gets here.” Ben held fast to her hips, not allowing her to wriggle out of his grip. “Ben, come on, if we don’t get up now, we won’t have breakfast started when they get here.”

Ben ignored her weak sounds of protest in favor of dragging his tongue along her collarbone. 

“Not my fault you volunteered us to make breakfast today,” his voice muffled against her skin. “We could’ve just taken everybody out to lunch instead.” He trailed up from her collarbone to the juncture where her shoulder met her neck and sucked. Rey moaned in response, caught somewhere between needing him to stop and wanting him to keep going. When he tugged her earlobe between his teeth, she gasped. Her body, having a mind of its own when it came to him, shifted her hips down to press them even closer together.

“Ben,” a halfhearted whine left her lips, “we’re going to be late.” She was breathless, the need already clouding her mind. Again, Rey shifted her hips, just trying to get any semblance of friction to relieve her heated core.

“You keep doing that, we’re really gonna be late.” To drive his point home, he ground his hips into her pelvis, letting her feel the effect of her squirming. She looked down to see him, still hot and hard, between them. He knew he’d won by the look in her eyes before she even opened her mouth.

“Fuck.”

Ben deftly flipped them, pressing Rey into the mattress and dragging himself through her folds. He let his fingers skim down her rib cage to her hips. As he folded himself over her body to press his lips to her own, Rey whimpered softly. 

“I love it when you’re like this, all needy and ready for me.” Rey hissed as she felt his thumb slide across her clit, just a gentle prod really but it was enough to make her cry out.

“ _ Ben! _ ”

He grinned. The sound of his name on her lips would always make his heart beat faster than it should. He loved every second of it.

“I know sweetheart,” he whispered.

Already in position, a simple forward motion of his hips was all it took to be fully seated inside her. She was so wet already, so responsive to him, the shuddering of her muscles only pulled him in further. 

The dream replayed in their minds as they worshipped each other. Their names a prayer on the other’s lips. The bed an altar in the sanctuary they found and created together.

It didn’t take long for their orgasms to rush them, overpowering their bodies until the breath fled their lungs and left them in boneless heaps on top of each other. Lazy kisses were punctuated by sudden aftershocks neither of them saw coming.

Breathless but sated, Rey and Ben ushered each other into the shower to get ready before their friends showed up for the breakfast that had been promised them.

***

Rey had just gotten the hashbrown casserole in the oven when Rose came bounding into the kitchen. Hux followed with Ben in tow, mirth in his eyes as he shook his head at his wife’s eagerness to help cook. Rey swatted the smaller woman away and directed her to join Hux at the island.

“Ben and I are cooking for everyone this morning. You just get to watch me work my magic.” Rose rolled her eyes but did as she was told and joined her husband.

“So, are you nervous about your nomination?”

Rose’s question caused Rey to shrug as she stirred the pancake batter.

“I’m more nervous about the performance. There’s a lot of amazing nominees for Top New Artist so I’m not really even thinking about that. But the performance? I’ve never performed in front of such a massive audience before.” Ben came up behind her and pressed his mouth to the nape of her neck.

“But, at rehearsals yesterday, she was incredible so I’m not worried.”

Rey found herself staring up at him, grateful that he would be there on stage with her for her first performance at a major awards show.

“Well, you guys wrote an amazing song for the album so I’m not surprised in the slightest.” Hux’s matter-of-fact tone brooked no room for argument. Rey found it quite comforting despite the nerves bubbling in her stomach. 

Rey had never worked with a writing partner before Ben had come into her life. But now, songs from his latest album carried her name right alongside his in the writer’s credit. And her debut single, the one that had gotten her on the mainstream airwaves, was a duet between the two of them. When Ben had agreed to be a featured artist on the track, Rey had still been fairly unknown. But as soon as the song hit the radio, her album sales had skyrocketed. She was no longer the small singer/songwriter playing coffee shop open mic nights for rent money. She played sold out concert halls to adoring fans. Once her relationship with Ben had come to light, there had been the expected rumors that she was only with him to further her own career. But they paid them no mind, choosing to focus on their careers and their relationship without being distracted by the outside world. After three years, the public had come to love them together, their never ending support for each other, the way they made each other better artists.

Rey had never believed her life could’ve turned out the way it did but she was thankful each and every day that it had.

“Who wants mimosas?”

The sound of Finn and Poe yelling in perfect unison from the foyer alerted everyone to their presence. As the two men walked into the kitchen, Poe with a bottle of champagne lifted in the air above his head and Finn with a jug of orange juice hoisted in the same manner, everyone clapped.

This breakfast was meant to be a celebration after all.

* * *

“You good?”

Ben’s question was punctuated by him placing a featherlight kiss across her knuckles.

In a few short moments, they would exit the limo onto the red carpet. It was his least favorite part of the awards show season. But it was Rey’s first nomination in what he was positive would be a long line of both nominations and wins for her in her career and he wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

Rey turned her head from staring out the tinted windows and meet his gaze with a tiny smile on her face.

“You’re with me,” she whispered, “how could I be anything but?”

A grin spread across his face as he leaned in to press his lips to hers. He’d already been threatened by the make-up artist to not mess up Rey’s make-up or they would shave his eyebrows in his sleep. He didn’t really think Ms. Holdo would do it but he was a bit terrified of finding out. He kept his kiss chaste just to be safe.

“You look stunning.”

Ben took in her appearance for the umpteenth time since leaving their place and had to catch his breath. Her hair had been expertly coiffed into a fancier version of the three bun style she preferred. He loved when she wore her hair like that; it reminded him of the night they met. Unlike most of the budding starlets they would be rubbing elbows with at the awards show, Rey had opted out of wearing a designer gown. Instead, she’d gone with a white two-piece number that made her look even more incredible than he’d become accustomed to. The pants were a shimmering white fabric, tailored to perfection to fit her like a glove. The crop top of the same fabric boasted a floor-length cape that fell from her shoulders.

He’d opted for a simple waistcoat and trouser combination that had never steered him wrong in the past. People rarely paid attention to what he wore anyway. Rey had secured his hair at the nape of his neck just before they’d left the house, letting loose strands not quite long enough to include themselves in the ponytail hang out around his face.

“Okay you two, you’re on.”

As the words left the driver’s mouth, the limo door was opened from the outside. Their nice quiet bubble sufficiently burst, the sound of reporters yelling and cameras flashing away took over their ears. Rey turned to him, a soft look in her eyes, and simply nodded. A silent ‘let’s do this’ shared between the two of them before they exited the car.

“Rey! Over here!”

“Look this way Ben!”

“Rey, you look amazing! Who are you wearing tonight?”

“Ben is that the same outfit you wore to the Grammys last year?”

“Get closer Reylo!”

Rey chuckled when she heard the portmanteau the media had dubbed them. She felt Ben’s hand tighten around hers. She knew he’d never really liked red carpet events but he’d gotten better recently. With the release of his latest album and the release of her debut album, plus the single he was featured on, they’d been doing quite a bit of press together. It was absolutely wonderful being able to do all of this with him by her side. Transitioning into the world of the limelight wasn’t as daunting because she felt at home with Ben.

After a few moments, they were directed to move further down the carpet. The paparazzi continued taking their photos and yelling their questions. They smiled for the cameras, happily turning this way and that so the perfect picture could be captured. When the time came for them to separate for short interviews with various red carpet reporters, they did so with a chaste kiss and smiles.

Rey laughed at the first reporter’s question, a very broad ‘how does it feel to be here’ type of line of inquiry. How could she possibly encompass how she felt? She looked down to where Ben was answering questions with an easy smile. If he could do it, so could she.

“I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Performing has always been something that’s brought me peace and clarity so getting to do that on a large scale is an incredible feeling. Plus I get to perform a song that’s very dear to my heart with the person that’s very dear to my heart.”

The woman grinned as she looked down at her notes.

“Well ‘The Bones’ is one of the hottest singles in the country right now so it seems to be very dear to quite a few other people. You two break a leg up there tonight.”

A few feet away, Ben listened to the reporter’s questions.

“Ben what’s it like being back for the Billboard Music Awards? Are you excited to be performing with Rey tonight?”

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear and smiled.

“The energy here is always great so that’s fun. Performing with Rey just feels natural and I love that. She’s an incredible songwriter and musician. I’m a lucky guy.”

He couldn’t help the way his grin widened when talking about her. The reporter certainly took notice.

“So you’re featured on Rey’s song ‘The Bones’, which you two wrote together. You obviously work well together. Do you think the forest god has finally found his goddess?”

Ben looked down the line of reporters to where Rey was laughing at a question she’d just been asked. Their eyes met, in tune with each other without even needing to be close, and he felt the peace she exuded wash over him. The dream they’d shared that morning came back to him in full force.

“I think she found me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Beta’d by the amazing JustAnotherSailorScout


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